Gluten Free Food Reviews

Oh my do I LOVE these! I picked up this hefty 32 ounce bag of Bob’s Red Mill gluten free rolled oats for a mere $5.99 at a local natural foods store when I was in Minnesota for my sister’s wedding back in December. I was thrilled that such large bag of gluten free oats was available since I adore my recipe for coconut pecan apple crisp and oatmeal cookies. This huge bag cost the same as my 17 ounce box of Lara’s gluten free oats in my pantry. I felt like I hit the lottery!

This is what the Bob’s red Mill site states about their gluten free oats:
Our Gluten Free Rolled Oats are pure. They are grown by over 200 farmers on clean, dedicated oat-growing fields. They plant only non-GMO “pedigreed” seed stock. Each farm delivery is sampled hundreds of times and tested with an R5 ELISA gluten test to ensure the absence of gluten. Advanced color-sorting removes undetected impurities. Roasting enhances that wholesome, robust flavor you expect. The oats are packaged in our new, 100% gluten free facility and tested for gluten again to ensure their purity. *Please be advised that a small percentage of people with celiac disease may not tolerate even the purest of oats. If you are unsure whether oats are suitable for your diet, please check first with your health advisor before eating them.

My family and I love these delicious oats and consumed them with no ill effects. The only problem I can find is that unless your local natural foods store carries them, they are difficult to find online to purchase- even the Bob’s Red Mill site is sold out!

Lucky for me- and you- my local natural foods store has started filling online orders, Click the link below if you want to purchase them ASAP. In the meantime, I will post new links when another site has them in stock.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats from Nature’s Pantry

Rating: 5 stars!

Pros: Finally! An affordable gluten free rolled oats product, tastes great, large size bag

Cons: May be difficult to find in stores and online

OK, I have had enough bread for a few days, and wanted to share this breakfast cereal with you. I purchased it to share with my sister before her wedding at Christmas. We were staying with my parents and needed a gluten free breakfast cereal option in my parents’ pantry for a satisfying breakfast in a short amount of time. Getting ready for a wedding is serious business, and not a second is wasted! (Well, almost, right Kristina?) . I purchased this 12.8 ounce box of gluten free cereal for $5.29 at a nearby grocery store.

I admit the picture on the box looked really good- the clusters of granola amongst plump juicy berries- yum,! Oh boy was I in for a surprise. I opened the box to discover that it was only half full. Nope, the contents just hadn’t “settled”, but the inner sealed bag was only as large as half the box. Very deceptive!

Then I poured some granola into my bowl. My first thought was. “Where are the berries?!” I saw large one to two inch chunks of granola cereal with a bits of color, but I had to look really hard. I started to get that sinking feeling that I had wasted my money. However, wanting to give it a fair shot, I poured some milk and dug in.

Thankfully, I was surprised- it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Even though the freeze dried berries were hard to see, this gluten free granola cereal had a pleasant strawberry and raspberry flavor that blended well with the granola. This cereal wasn’t too sweet, but lacked a traditional “granola” flavor since it does not contain nuts or oats. The texture is also hard to describe, since it consisted mostly of brown rice flakes and rice bran. I also noticed a strange aftertaste, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was from.

This cereal did not get soggy and remained crisp and crunchy in my milk. However, it was almost too gard to eat and enjoy. I found this cereal to be quite filling thanks to the 5 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein per serving half cup serving.

Overall, I found this cereal to be quite unexpected. I enjoyed the berry flavor but found the rest of the “granola” a little strange. I feel this is a good option for those that cannot have nuts or oats. However, for myself I think I will stick to a more traditional variety of granola cereal.

PROS: nice berry flavor, allergen-free

CONS: deceptive packaging, very large chunks, aftertaste, hard to chew, appearance is less than appetizing

Rating: 2 stars

Want to try it? Click the picture and link below:

Enjoy Life Foods Very Berry Granola Gluten-Free Cereal- glutenfreemall.com

Read more Enjoy Life gluten free product reviews:

Enjoy Life Soft Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ahhh, more bagels, Since I enjoyed the plain Glutino bagels so much, I just had to try their sesame flavor. Now, my sister Kristina swears by the Kinnikinnick bagels ( a review of them will be along soon!) I have found these to be chewy and satisfying. One of my old bagel favorites was the fresh baked sesame flavor from Wegmans. If you have ever tried their fresh artisan breads, bagels and muffins before going gluten free, you know what I mean.

These bagels come five to a package and are double packaged for optimum freshness. I purchased m ine for $5.89 at my local grocery store. These bagels are quite large and filling!

The overall texture and density were comparable to the plain flavor ( click HERE to read the review for more details). The only difference was the generous coating of sesame seeds on the exterior of the bagel. No kidding, I would cut, bite or slice the bagel and the sesame seeds would be EVERYWHERE. For maximum flavor and texture, this bagel should be toasted. The toasted sesame seeds add a nice flavor, and I would definately buy these Glutino sesame bagels again.Â

PROS: nice chewy texture, yummy sesame flavor

CONS: sesame seeds fall off everywhere, needs to be toasted for best results

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where can I buy these yummy bagels?

Glutino - Premium Sesame Bagels
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Corn mix (corn starch, skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, salt, glucono-delta-lactone, pectin, sodium bicarbonate, sodium alginate, modified vegetable cellulose), water, tapioca starch, sesame seeds, margarine (palm and palm kernel oils, soy lecithin), skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, liquid edd whites, safflower oil, liquid yolks, guar gum, yeast, salt, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, iron, calcium.

Before going gluten free 18 months ago, I lived on bagels. Loved them. Especially with cream cheese and sliced strawberries, peanut butter, or strawberry jam . . . yummm. And before last week, I hadn’t tried a gluten free bagel because I convinced myself a decent tasting replacement just wasn’t possible. I am not sure why I picked up this package of Glutino Sans Gluten Free Premium Plain Bagels and plopped it in my basket, but I did. And boy am I glad!

These bagels are sold in packages of five for $5.79 in the frozen foods section of my local grocery store, and are double packaged for ultimate freshness.

I first thawed my bagel in the microwave for 40 seconds before slicing it and placing it in my preheated oven on a piece of tin foil ( I don’t have a dedicated gluten free toaster in my home- yet.). I baked it until it was golden brown on the top. I removed it and immediately smothered it with cream cheese, as I used to do before my celiac diagnosis.

Yum.

I found the bagel to have the perfect thickenss and size for a satisfying breakfast or snack. The exterior was crisp and crunchy, the interior soft and chewy, but a bit of a springy texture. However, this did not take away from the product. I found the flavor to be gentle and perfect for spreads and toppings. I did not detect any dryness or graininess.

I don’t miss my “old” bagels anymore. The only thing I like better is the sesame flavor! (Look for the review tomorrow!)

However, on the down side, this bagel must be toasted for maximum flavor and texture. If thawed and sliced, it crumbles more and resembles a typical piece of rice bread- slightly dry and grainy. Therefore, if you wish to make a bagel sandwich, please toast the entire bagel. You’ll be glad you did. This gluten free product is also high in fat- 16 grams of fat per bagel. Note the nutritional information of the package is for 1/2 a bagel, but I don’t know anyone that just eats a half, after thawing and toasting . . .

PROS: Crunchy and chewy when toasted, pleasant but mild flavor, closely resembles a “regular” bagel

CONS: untoasted eating is not recommended, high in fat

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy Glutino San Gluten Free Premium Plain Bagels?

Glutino - Premium Plain Bagels
From: glutenfree.comIngredients: Corn mix (corn starch, skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, salt, glucono-delta-lactone, pectin, sodium bicarbonate, sodium alginate, modified vegetable cellulose), water, tapioca starch, margarine (palm and palm kernel oils, soy lecithin), skim milk powder, evaporated cane juice, liquid egg whites, safflower oil, liquid yolks, guar gum, yeast, salt, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, iron, calcium Read what Gluten Free For Me  , Going Gluten Free, or Ellen from I am Gluten Free  say about these bagels!

Despite the numerous company names on the box (Chateau Cream Hill Estates, Lara’s, & The Pure Oats Company), this product is a keeper, hands down!

These rolled oats are guaranteed to be free from gluten and wheat, a very common contaminator of many other “regular” oats products due to manufacturing and harvesting techniques. These oats are harvested from fields that have been free from wheat for at least three years, packaged in a dedicated gluten-free facility, and batch tested for purity. For more information on this company check out their website HERE. Also, since this product is manufactured in Cananda, I feel especially secure about their gluten-free status due to strict Canadian requirments to be labeled gluten-free.

These oats taste wonderful, and may be used in any oat or oatmeal recipe. I was impressed that the inner plastic storage bag has a ziplock to ensure freshness and purity. This company really thought of everything. I am so excited I found these!!

Pros: finally a gluten-free rolled oat product, Great taste, ziplock storage seal inside the box

Cons: price- $5.99 for a 1.1 lb. box

Rating: 5 stars!!

To purchase these oats click the link below:

Cream Hill Estates Lara’s Rolled Oats (No Cross Contamination) from glutenfreemall.com

Ingredients: Pure whole grain rolled oats

For some amazing recipes using these oats, click HERE. Be sure to check out these cookies, too. I substitute Pamelas baking mix for the oat flour and they are to die for! In fact, I ate a ton of the dough before they made it into the oven. (I know, I’m so bad!)

Yum! I just love this syrup with a stack of hot Pamela’s pancakes on a chilly morning.

This syrup comes in a 12 ounce glass bottle, ready to serve. It is dark amber grade and pours fairly thin. Therefore, it absorbs into the pancakes or waffles pretty quickly. Be conservative in your dosage unless you want mushy pancakes, and be prepared to eat quickly.  The natural flavor is fairly strong but not overly sweet. I particularly like this syrup heated in the microwave or on stovetop for the best flavor.

Pros: nice flavor, 100% organic

Cons: Consistency is pretty thin

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

**Please see the Pamela’s products review to see the syrup on pancakes

 

A gluten-free donut? This, I had to try!  The owner of my local natural foods store swears by them, so I decided to take the plunge. I was hoping they would be pretty good since I shelled out $7.49 for a package of 6.

These donuts are purchased frozen and best when microwaved and consumed warm. The frosting ( or “dipped” part) is gooey and very sweet with a nice cocoa flavor. The actual donut part resembles a traditional cake donut and is milder in taste and not as sweet.  The texture and consistency is wonderful, especially for a white rice-based product ( which often are crumbly, IMO). These make a delicious brfeakfast item or for even dessert.

PROS: Nice chocolate flavor, cake-like texture and consistency, great gluten-free alternative to the “regular” version

CONS: Only tastes really good when warm, really sweet

Rating: 4  1/2 stars

*Since this is a frozen product, I suggest finding it in your local area to purchase*

Ingredients: Coming soon!

 

This is awesome-a yummy gluten-free breakfast cereal that doesn’t get soggy in milk!

This is a corn based cereal with peanut buttery puffs. No, not peanut butter flavored- they use real peanut butter! ( What a concept eh?) The golden round corn puffs are initially very crunchy. As you eat, they soften a touch but never loose their signature crunch. Overall, a great breakfast cereal that anyone would love.

This cereal sells for $4.69 for a 16 ounce box.

Pros: satisying crunch, wonderful PB taste, organic ingredients

Cons: Can’t think of any!

Rating: 5 stars

Ingredients: organic corn meal, organic evaporated cane juice, organic peanut butter ( peanuts, salt), organic expeller-pressed canola oil and/or organic soybean oil, sea salt, tocopherols (natural vitamin E) added to preserve freshness.

 

I purchased these muffins in the frozen foods section of a natural foods store for $5.29 for a package of four muffins. These aren’t your average sized muffins though- they are HUGE! Very thick, very tall. You could easily split them in half and save one half for later. Each muffin is 170 calories

The package suggests microwaving or toasting for best flavor.  The first time I zapped the frozen muffin in the microwave for 40 seconds. It was perfectly thawed and warmed. So much so that the “browned” top and bottom of the muffin started to flake off, leaving a holey interior exposed. These muffins are soft with your “typical” rice bread flavor and texture- mild, dense, almost sponge-like. I tried to flatten the bread but it would bounce right back( for the most part!). It tasted good with butter and GF jam. Good, but not good enough to write home about. As I ate the muffin, it retained it’s shape and did not break off into pieces or crumble in my hands, as some rice flour products have done.

Overall, it was a decent gluten-free enlgish muffin. I would suggest toasting it for best results.

Pros: nice flavor, large size

Cons: dense and heavy, high price

Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Ingredients and vendors coming soon!

 

Now, I have to admit, I have only used this for baking cookies and making apple crisp, so I have no clue if it actually makes great hot oatmeal. 

This brand is imported from Ireland and costs $3.99 for a 16 ounce box at my natural food store. They assured me it was a gluten-free product, and I had no reaction when I ate it. However, use at your discretion (Note added: this product meets European stnadards for “gluten-free”, but does not meet Canadian standards, which are more strict. the US doesn’t have any real standards right now.)

That being said, these oats are fantastic and make amazing apple crisp ( recipe is listed in the recipe section on this site) The cookie recipe on the box is also decent as well. The oats seem to be smaller than your typical Quaker Oat variety, but they taste really good.

Rating: 4 stars

NOTE: See breakfast reviews section for a new brand of  gluten-free oats . yay!)